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As activists in Madison argue a historic but vacant movie theater on Lincoln Place dating back to 1925 can be “saved” and operated as a nonprofit, and naysayers call that a pipe dream, activists in Plymouth, Mich., report they’ve succeeded in doing just that with the once-vacant Penn Theatre, which opened in 1941 and was screening a holiday classic last December for just $3 a seat.

Can a historic movie theater in Madison be 'saved?' Yes, say Michigan activists

As activists in Madison argue a historic but vacant movie theater on Lincoln Place dating back to 1925 can be “saved” and operated as a nonprofit, and naysayers call that a pipe dream, activists in Plymouth, Mich., report they’ve succeeded in doing just that with the once-vacant Penn Theatre, which opened in 1941 and was screening a holiday classic last December for just $3 a seat.

MADISON – About a month after Bow Tie Cinemas closed the doors of Madison Cinema 4 at 14 Lincoln Place last May, a petition sprang up to “save” the movie house, which opened in 1926 as the Lyons Theater, in Madison’s Downtown Historic District.

Headed up by former Mayor and Councilman Ellwood “Woody” Kerkeslager of Prospect Street and resident Sandy Kolakowski of Park Avenue, the petition asks the Borough Council to provide interim funding to save the theater, as well as to allow community groups to “develop a plan for its use as a not-for-profit movie, arts and cultural center.” The petition has been distributed in person and online at https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-our-historic-movie-theater. To date the petition, unveiled with 278 signatures last July, has attracted 1,230 signatures.

“It has been operating as a theater from the beginning,” former Mayor Kerkeslager observed when the petition was launched. “It can continue as a public space,” he said, adding that Madison nonprofits could find a home in the the office space on the building’s second floor.

Since that time, however, public attention has focused on concept plans for the property by its owner, the Parsippany-based Saxum Real Estate Group, first presented in December at a public meeting of the Borough Council, Planning Board and Historic Preservation Commission. The concept plans do call for two movie theaters, each with about 40 seats, but as part of a larger redevelopment with retail and residential space — fueling the fears of advocates for a nonprofit theater that the historic building could be headed for the wrecking ball.

But from the Great Lakes there’s a preservationist reaching out to Madison to say that saving an old movie theater, operating it as a nonprofit, and benefiting both businesses and the community is not only possible — but it’s been done, in her hometown of Plymouth, Mich.

‘It Does Work’

“I did the same thing,” said Ellen Elliott of Plymouth. “There were a lot of naysayers, but it does work.”

Elliott, who has made the journey from advocate to the executive director of a nonprofit movie theater, said the parallels between Madison’s Lyons Theater and Plymouth’s Penn Theatre are striking. “It makes me want to come there,” she said of the decision facing Madison.

She summed up the parallels: “We have a 1941 movie theater — not as old as yours. It closed in 2003 — they said for renovations, but it was vacant for a year. Developers bought it.”

Following a citizens’ campaign called “Friends of the Penn” and an investment by local business people, “We formed a nonprofit in 2005. By 2006, we opened. Our operational income covers our operational expenses. Our downtown businesses greatly benefit.”

The campaign to save the Penn Theatre didn’t succeed by magic. Elliott may be the nonprofit’s executive director, but she’s the first to make the point, “I have no experience in business.” Rather, the explanation behind her position is simpler and more visceral: “I grew up in Plymouth.”

‘Test Of Time’

The Penn Theatre opened on Dec. 4, 1941, in Plymouth with the showing of “Weekend in Havana” starring John Payne and Carmen Miranda. “The Penn has stood the test of time, surviving the advent of ‘a television in every living room’ and the appearance of movies in VHS and DVD format,” Elliott noted. “Over the next 58 years the theater changed ownership several times, and closed its doors in late 2003 for ‘remodeling’. The Penn remained closed through 2004 with its fate uncertain.”

When the town’s movie theater became threatened, “I got on board with ‘Friends of the Penn’,” she said. The “Friends of the Penn” had been organized in 2005 by a group of local residents who were concerned about the future of the historic Penn Theatre and the impact its closing was having on the community.

And as Elliott recalls, she gravitated into a leadership role because she was an active volunteer in Plymouth and “a stay-at-home mom” who had the time to dedicate to the preservation campaign.

“I learned along the way,” she said, adding: “It was a labor of love.”

Stumbling Block

Through a survey conducted in April 2005, the citizens’ group “received an overwhelming response from the community in support of re-opening the Penn,” Elliott said. “The issue of procuring $1.2 million to purchase the building remained a stumbling block, however.

“In December of 2005, when it looked like all hope was lost, a group of local businessmen formed Penn Theatre Realty LLC and purchased the building from its current owners. This wonderful group of ‘angels’ unselfishly decided to lease the building to ‘Friends of the Penn’ for $1 a year.”

Now, “We have one big single-screen theater. It’s not a for-profit business. But we pay our operating expenses,” Elliott reported. “Fund-raising is only necessary to cover renovation projects.”

Since reopening in September 2006, the “Friends of the Penn” volunteers have logged more than 27,000 hours and welcomed in excess of 560,000 patrons.

And perhaps the most important payoff of all that work, Elliott indicated: “Kids walk to the theater.”

Affordable Option

The 402-seat nonprofit Penn Theatre is indeed “family-friendly.” Elliott described its operation: “We are open Thursday through Sunday and show current movies and classics with tickets costing a modest $3 each. Our concession prices are also very low — making this an affordable entertainment option for everyone. We also host school field trips and annual holiday concerts of the Michigan Philharmonic. Last year we welcomed over 55,000 patrons — the impact of which was significant for our local business community.”

Despite the success of the “Save the Penn” project, Elliott said she actually envies the possibilities in Madison. She explained, “In Madison, you have more space” in the theater building, “and more opportunities” to provide a home for Madison nonprofit organization on the second floor.

Can the model for saving the Penn Theatre be achieved in Madison? “I have been the executive director of ‘Friends of the Penn’ since its inception in 2005. I fully understand the complexities of the journey that the citizens of Madison are undertaking,” Elliott said, “and am willing to help in any way necessary.” The Penn Theatre can be reached at (734) 453-0870; its website is www.penntheatre.com. The “Friends of the Penn” address is P.O. Box 6462, Plymouth, Mich. 48170.

The community of Plymouth, Mich., has never regretted its decision to save its historic movie theater and take it non-profit, Elliott summed up. “Since 2006, not a week goes by that a local business person, or a citizen, doesn’t stop me on the street and says, ‘Thanks for saving our theater’.”

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